QUILCENE — Victor is “a real sweet boy,” said Marshall Gooch, an admirer of the dogs, cats and other residents of Center Valley Animal Rescue.
This German shepherd, who has only three legs, is among the companion animals rehabilitated — and now up for adoption — at CVAR, the nonprofit ranch which will host a key event this Saturday.
The annual “For the Love of Animals” auction and celebration has many items up for bid as in previous years, while “I wanted to make it more fun and interesting,” said Gooch, CVAR’s marketing and fundraising coordinator.
“We’ll have videos from people who’ve adopted,” telling their stories, he said, adding that furry companions have helped many get through the difficult months of the pandemic.
“We’ll be showing pictures of animals when they came in to us, and how they are today,” he said.
Victor, a three-legged German shepherd, is one of the adoptable pets at Center Valley Animal Rescue. The nonprofit organization will host an online showcase of rehabilitated and adopted animals Saturday evening. (Diane Urbani de la Paz/Peninsula Daily News)
To provide a look at the long-term residents of the ranch, the evening will include a short movie starring Tatanka, CVAR’s resident bison, frolicking in last winter’s snow.
The whole celebration will start at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and information on how to tune in — and bid on auction items today through 11 p.m. Saturday — can be found at Centervalleyanimalrescue.org. Besides participating in the bidding, animal lovers can make contributions, which an anonymous donor will match up to $40,000.
As for visiting CVAR, the 32-acre ranch at 11900 Center Road is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays through Sundays; phone 360-765-0598 for details.
Information about volunteering also is available on the website.
More than 70 adoptable creatures await there, too.
There’s Victor the dog, Diva the horse, Daffodil the senior sheep, Snuffy the rabbit and Averil the seal point Siamese cat.
Dosewallips the emu is among the 125 residents at Center Valley Animal Rescue in Quilcene, where fundraising director Marshall Gooch and board director Sara Penhallegon will host an auction and celebration online Saturday evening. (Diane Urbani de la Paz/Peninsula Daily News)
Clarence the pig, MayBelle the pig, Buttercup the cow, Luna the goat, Alejandro the rooster and Mr. Boots the cat also await homes.
CVAR rescues, rehabilitates and provides ongoing care for all, Gooch said.
The past year has put many demands on the operation, he added, so this week’s fundraiser is more important than ever.
“There have been way more adoptions than normal, which is great,” he said, “but there have also been greater needs with cruelty cases,” involving horses and other domestic animals.
At the same time, wild creatures are increasingly affected by the growing human population, Gooch added.
Injured and malnourished animals, ranging from baby raccoons and fawns to a full-grown mountain lion, have convalesced here.
On the ranch, a new dog shelter and a large outdoor enclosure for wildlife have been built. A team of about 50 volunteers feeds and cares for each of the birds, reptiles and mammals living here.
And it’s baby season, with bunnies and ducklings among the new arrivals.
While wild animals are released as soon as they’re well enough — back to local forests and waters — CVAR seeks permanent homes for many domestic creatures.
The organization also works with local veterinarians to spay and neuter pets before they are adopted, and it provides immunization clinics across the North Olympic Peninsula, Gooch said.
Staff and volunteers provide support to the adoptive families before, during and after the process; on Thursday, CVAR founder Sara Penhallegon made a home visit to Sequim, where a family is soon to welcome some rescued cattle and goats to their spread.
“Their place is beautiful,” she said, beaming.
With help from her family, Penhallegon purchased the land for CVAR in 2004, and then proceeded to clean it up and turn it into a refuge. The mission since has remained the same: The love and care of abused and abandoned animals is the soul of the organization.
“We do a lot for animals: domestic, wild and everything in between,” Gooch said.
“We had a gull here last month that had gotten caught in a batting cage in Port Angeles. It was injured and dehydrated. We rehabilitated that bird and released it,” and the video of that moment will be among those shown during Saturday evening’s event.
Such stories start out heartbreaking, he said, “yet they do come to a positive outcome. That’s what drives us.”
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.
